Have you ever opened a magazine or turned on the television only to be bombarded by advertisements promoting a youthful appearance and promising an active lifestyle with a pill? Do those lotions, creams, and pills create the fountain of youth?

Many factors influence healthy aging. Some, such as genetics, are out of our control. Fortunately, there are steps we can take for our health, so that we can live independently as long as possible. The National Institute on Aging,which is part of the National Institutes of Health, has conducted research to understand the nature of aging. In this nine-blog series, we will look at some key National Institute on Aging research and discuss healthy lifestyle habits. 

I hope you will join me for the Aging Healthy blog series as we discuss the steps that promote healthy aging, including taking care of our physical, mental, and cognitive health. Each Tuesday and Thursday, we’ll share a new post, as follows:

• Aging Healthy: What Can We Control?
• Aging Healthy: Checking Our Physical Health and Activity
• Aging Healthy: Making Smart Food Choices
• Aging Healthy: Slipping Into Sound Sleep
• Aging Healthy: Stopping Impacts of Smoking, Alcohol and Other Substances
• Aging Healthy: Checking Our Physical Health and Healthcare Checkups
• Aging Healthy: Maintaining Our Mental Health
• Aging Healthy: Thinking About Cognitive Health
• Aging Healthy: Putting All the Pieces Together

In our first topic-focused post, we will look at our physical health, which includes activities, food choices and sleep, along with regular healthcare checkups. Visit the Aging Healthy blog series feed to find all current posts.

1